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Abu Mihjan was one of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (may Allah be pleased with them).

This Sahaabi was suffering from an addiction to drinking wine. He was brought and flogged, then brought and flogged again, but he knew that this problem did not relieve him of his duty to strive for the cause of Islam.

So he went out with the Muslims to al-Qaadisiyyah as a soldier, seeking martyrdom on the battlefield. In al-Qaadisiyyah he was brought to the commander of the army, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas [radiAllahu anhu], for having drunk wine. Sa’d [radiAllahu anhu] detained him so that the Muslims ranks would be cleansed of such a person.

This detention was a harsh punishment which caused Abu Mihjan a great deal of anguish. When he heard the sounds of swords and spears, and the neighing of the horses, and he knew that the jihad had begun, and the gates of Paradise were open, he was filled with longing for jihad. He called to the wife of Sa’d ibn Abi Waaqqas saying,

“Let me go and I promise Allah that if I come back safe and sound, I will put my own feet in the chains, and if I am killed, then you will be rid of me.”

She felt sorry for him, so she let him go, and he leapt onto a horse belonging to Sa’d which was called al-Balqa’. Then he picked up a spear and set off. He did not attack any group of enemy soldier but he scattered them.

Sa’d was supervising the battle and he was surprised and said, “This is the running of al-Balqa’, and the style of attack is that of Abu Mihjan, but Abu Mihjan is in chains.”

When the battle was over, Abu Mihjan went back and put his feet in the chains. The wife of Sa’d told him this wonderful story, so Sa’d admired this man and his care for Islam and his longing for jihad, so he himself went to this wine-drinker, released the chains with his own hands and said,

“Get up, for by Allaah I will never flog you for drinking wine again.” Abu Mihjan said, “By Allaah, I will never drink it again.”

My brothers, the Islamic awakening of today has pervaded all Islamic countries, and all praise is for Allah. It has to be understood, however, that this awakening must be established upon a solid foundation – in terms of Allah’s book and Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger [sallallahu alaihi wasallam]. If it is not established upon these primary sources, then it will be a reckless and unstable awakening, which will perhaps destroy more than it will build. But if it is built upon the principles and teaching of Allah’s Book and the authentic Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger [sallallahu alaihi wasallam], then it will have a very positive and effective influence on the Muslim Nation and on other Nations as well.

Perhaps all of us know the long story of Abu Sufyan’s visit to Sham [today Sham consists of Syria and surrounding area], where he met with its ruler, Harqal, the emperor of Rome. At that time, Abu Sufyan was still a disbeliever. During the course of their meeting, Abu Sufyan related to the emperor matters pertaining to the Prophet’s worship of Allah, to his rejection of Idols, to his good manners, to his truthfulness, to his trustworthiness, to his good dealings, and to other matters that pertain to the Shariah he came with. Harqal [the emperor] said to Abu Sufyan,

“If what you say is the truth, then he will rule over what is underneath these two feet of mine.”[1]

Who would imagine that, at the time, even the Arabs were not under his rule; in fact, the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] has not even conquered Makkah; he was still considered to be an emigrant of Makkah? So who would imagine that a king such as Harqal, who ruled over so many people, would say such a statement: “If what you say is the truth, then he will rule over what is underneath these two feet of mine?” Did what Harqal predict actually occur or not? Did the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] rule over what was underneath the feet of Harqal, i.e. Sham at the time, Rome ruled over those lands? Isn’t it true that Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] died before the Muslims conquered Sham?

The Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] ruled over what was underneath the feet of Harqal with his Dawah [calling and message] and not with his person. The dawah of the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] came upon this earth and swept away Idols and shirk [the association of partners with Allah in worship]. So when the rightly guided Khalifahs ruled over Sham after the Prophet’s death, they did so by his Dawah and Shariah [law of Islam].

What we are saying is that, if the rulers of the Muslim nations and those under them were to truly return to the religion of Allah, taking Muslims as their supporters, friends, and helpers, and taking the disbelievers as their enemies, then they would rule over the eastern and the western part of the earth. They would ruler over the earth not because they supported countries or personalities, not because they affiliated themselves to a specific tribe or group, but because they would establish the Religion of Allah Azza wa Jall [to Him belongs Might and Majesty].

And Allah guaranteed to make His Religion victorious over all other religions. Allah said:

It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it. [61:9]

An obvious concomitant of this Religion being victorious is that those who adhere to it will be victorious as well.

My brothers, if this consciousness that has pervaded the ranks of the Muslim youth today is not based on Allah’s book and the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger [sallallahu alaihi wasallam], then it will be reckless and misguided, and it is feared that it will destroy more than it will build.

[The Islamic Awakening, page no. 21-22]

Footnote:

[1] A portion of Hadith related by Al- Bukhari (7), which is narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud from Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb.

What is the ruling on eating food prepared for a Christian festival? What is the ruling on accepting their invitation to their celebrations of the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him) [i.e., Christmas celebrations]?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to celebrate innovated festivals such as the Christmas of the Christians, or Nowrooz (Persian New Year) or Mahrajaan (Persian festival), or festivals that have been innovated by Muslims such as the Prophet’s birthday in Rabee’ al-Awwal or the Israa’ in Rajab and so on.

It is not permissible to eat from that food which the Christians or Mushrikeen prepare on the occasion of their festivals.

It is also not permissible to accept their invitations to join them in their celebrations of those festivals, because this encourages them and is tantamount to approving of their bid’ah, which gives the wrong idea to ignorant people and makes them think that there is nothing wrong with that. And Allah knows best.

I have heard several stories about Jinn kidnapping humans. I have also read a story about a man from Al-Ansar (early Medina supporters and companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ). The man was on his way to the mosque for the night prayer when he was captured by the Jinn and was absent for a number of years. Is it possible that the Jinn can kidnap humans?

Answer:

Yes, it is possible. It was well known that the Jinn killed Saad Ibn-Ubadah because he urinated in a hole they lived in.

They said, “ We have killed the chief of Al-Khazraj, Saad Ibn Ubadah; we shot him with an arrow that did not miss his heart.

Also, during the reign of Caliph Umar Ibn-Al-Khattab, a man was kidnapped by some Jinn, and remained their prisoner for four years. When he returned, he said that some Mushrik Jinn had kidnapped him and kept him a prisoner until they were invaded and defeated by Muslim Jinn, who returned him to his people.This incident is mentioned in Manar Assabeel and in other books.

Manaar al-Sabeel, 2/88. The story of the kidnapped man was reported by al-Bayhaqi (7/445-446) and its Isnaad was classed as Sahih by al-Albaani in al-Irwaa’, 6/150, no.1709

Question: There are those who evoke the Jinn by means of mysterious magical sayings in order to get them to bring out treasures hidden in the village for a long time. What is the ruling on such practice?

Answer:

This practice is not allowed, for the magical words with which they evoke and employ the Jinn are often not void of Shirk. To show how serious it is, Allah says, “…Lo! Whose ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evildoers there will be no helpers.” [Maida Sura, Ayah 72]

Dealing with those people tempts as well as makes them conceited. They are conceited to believe in themselves as being right in what they are doing. They are tempted as a result of the amount of money they get. Therefore, they must be boycotted, and Muslims must be alerted to their reality and advised not to deal with them.

Those people are most probably charlatans who want to deceive people and take their money unlawfully. They make haphazard guesses, which my coincide with Allah’s destiny; if this happens, they spread the news of their claimed success. If their guesses do not materialize, they make up all sorts of excuses.

My advice to such people who have been involved in this evil affair is: beware lying to people and taking their money unlawfully and beware Shirk. Life on earth does not last long, and on Justice Day judgment is tough. You have no choice but to repent and beg Allah to forgive you for what you have been doing. You have to correct your acts and purify your wealth; success is only with Allah.

[Ifta’a Permanent Committee, Fatwas on Treatment Using the Qur’an and the Sunnah, Ruqyas and Related Issues, by Ibn-Baz and Ibn-Uthaimeen, p. 70-71]

The general characteristics of Salah ad-Deen’s efforts to unite the Muslims included the following:

(a)Generosity with wealth, which he regarded as insignificant. This is clearly seen in the large amounts that he gave to his followers, to the delegations who came to see him, and to those who surrendered to his rule, or to whom he promised to give; his letting off the countries he conquered of all past debts and taxes, and abolishing the levies and unjust taxes, apart from the taxes that are permitted in sharia. Undoubtedly this played a role in attracting people to join his ranks and silencing his opponents.

(b) His tolerant attitude. He fought those who opposed him in order to form a united front. When he defeated them, he did not allow anyone to pursue them or to kill their wounded; he released their prisoners and sometimes showed tolerance towards those he knew were his enemies. He did not show any animosity towards them. He overlooked their aggression, even though he was well aware of it, because he wanted them to become his allies after being his opponents.

(c) His deep Islamic faith. This was not only represented in his acts of worship but also in his belief that jihad was an obligation, first for himself and also for others, so he did not accept anything but urging them to engage in it.

(d) Leaving emirates under the control of their emirs, or giving them to his commanders and those who were close to him, or even to his opponents on occasion, because after he took control of Egypt, he only needed rulers to supply him with troops when called upon. This is what explains his compromises and diplomatic negotiations and his granting security to those who opposed him.

(e)Among the Zangid family in particular and the other emirs of Noor ad-Deen in general, there did not appear any person other than him who had the strength and ability to maintain the principles according to which Noor ad-Deen and his father before him had operated.

(f)As well as trying to win the support of the Muslim masses, he also sought to win the approval of the Abbasid caliph who he still believed was the source of spiritual legitimacy for all Muslims. He sent him letters one after another concerning different situations, sometimes explaining them, and sometimes accusing his opponents, or asking permission, or giving glad tidings, but never stopping.

From all of that we may understand that Salah ad-Deen’s strength was the result of the strong bond between him and the Muslim masses through his deeds and jihad, and his standing by and defending the masses’ demands, by defending their religion and beliefs and confronting the invaders. Salah ad Deen fought with some Muslim rulers, but he only fought them because of their selfishness and focus on their own personal interests and authority. He spent twelve years (570-582 AHl 1174-1186 CE) establishing a united Islamic front; throughout this period, his ambitions were much greater than his physical strength as he was sick. He was a military giant but a mass of physical illnesses, but his love of jihad made him forget his pain and overlook it.

“AI-Khansa’ bint ‘Amr [radiAllahu anha] witnessed the battle of Qadisiyah with her four sons. She addressed them on the eve of the battle and said,

‘My sons! You embraced Islam and migrated willingly. By Allah besides Whom there is no other deity worthy of being worshipped, you are all sons of one man as you are sons of one woman. I have never cheated on your father. Never have I brought disgrace upon your uncle, disparaged your esteem or altered your lineage. You know the great and abundance reward that Allah has set aside for the Muslims who fight against the disbelievers. Know that the everlasting abode is better than this transient one.

Allah says:

O you who believe! Endure and be more patient [than your enemy], and guard your territory by stationing anny units pennanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allah, so that you may be successful

(Qur ‘an 3: 200)

When you wake up tomorrow morning sound and healthy by Allah’s leave, go and fight against your enemy with sure understanding and seek Allah’s help over His enemies. When you see that the war has become tense, engage yourselves in the fight gallantly and resiliently that you may attain treasures and honour in the Abode of Eternity.’ “

After this statement of al-Khansa’, I or any other creature, for that matter, has nothing better to say! Her statement is beyond any comments as it is amply comprehensive.
The narrator proceeds:

“So her sons left having accepted her admonition and determined to implement her words. When the morning came, they set out on to the battlefield early and they all fought gallantly and courageously until they were martyred one after another.

And the news of their martyrdom came to al-Khansa’! But what did she say?
Here is where the greatness of this woman manifested most. When she heard this news, she forgot her poetry, her beauty, her place among her people and all any other thing. She remembered nothing but elevation to the peak of glory and the greatness of Islam and Eeman. She (radiAllahu anha) said,

‘All praise is due to Allah Who honoured me with their martyrdom. And I hope that my Lord will make me join them in the Abode of His Mercy!'”

It is noteworthy to add that the commander of the faithful, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab [radiAllahu anhu] used to give al-Khansa'[radiAllahu anha] the entitlement of her four martyred sons, two hundred dirhams annually, in the name of each of them, until she died.

May Allah have mercy on al-Khansa’, the poetess! May Allah be pleased with this believing and patient lady!

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Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said:

"If a man comes out of his house carrying a burden of sins like the mountains of Tihamah, then when he hears some knowledge he fears Allah and repents, he will go back home with no sins on him.
So do not forsake the gatherings of the scholars."
[Miftah Dar as-Sa’adah, 1/122; Fara’id al-Kalam, p. 135.]

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